He played college football for the Illinois State Redbirds, West Virginia Mountaineers and SMU Mustangs.
[1] He attended Justin F. Kimball High School in Dallas, participating in football, basketball and track and field.
[4] He then started all 15 games in 2019 and was named honorable mention FCS Sophomore All-American by HERO Sports, having finished the season with 48 tackles, four interceptions and a mark of 17 passes defended that placed second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).
[5] Woods initially opted to transfer to the SMU Mustangs, but later flipped his commitment to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
[3][7] In his lone year with the Mustangs, Woods started all 14 games, posting 27 tackles and a team-leading 11 pass breakups while being named third-team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC).